Matvienko called the new amendments “humanization”, according to which conscripts who do not want to go to the front are deprived of a number of rights.
“For failure to appear on the agenda without good reason, the current legislation provides for liability up to criminal liability in the event of two failures to appear in a row. Amendments to the law introduce restrictive measures designed to increase their attendance at military registration and enlistment offices without bringing them to criminal liability. This is a kind of humanization to avoid extreme measures.”
There is indeed a criminal punishment for failure to appear on the agenda in Russia. In the Criminal Code, Article 328 applies to conscripts aged 18 to 27 who evade conscription for military service, and when the conscription age is increased, it will be up to 30. Previously, this article could be applied if two agendas. Now, thanks to the amendments, which Matvienko calls “humanization”, any person who does not appear at the military registration and enlistment office seven days after he was entered into the register of those liable for military service and sent him an electronic summons automatically becomes a deviationist.
Matviyenko also notes in his statement that the appearance on the agenda is the duty of a citizen, and not a right. However, she does not say that the “humanistic” amendments abolish the constitutional rights of a citizen, for example, the right to free movement, Ilya Shablinsky, a member of the Moscow Helsinki Group, told The Insider.
“They usually refer to Part 3 of Art. 55 of the Constitution – the possibility of restricting a number of rights in order to protect the defense. But even it does not allow limiting the rights provided for by Part 1 of Art. 34, – to the free use of their abilities and property. These rights are NOT subject to restriction in accordance with Part 3 of Art. 56,” says Shablinsky.